A MAN has been left using crutches after taking in a dog that was about to be put down.

The man, from Basil Street, Colne took the seven-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier-cross a fortnight ago as a foster carer from a Yorkshire charity.

But after two happy weeks, the dog, called Dave, turned vicious and on Sunday night attacked the man’s two other dogs, also Staffordshire bull terriers, before turning on him.

He said: “It had played with my other dogs, Rosie and Dillon, and there had been no problems.

“Then he turned on them and when I shouted at him to stop, he turned on me.

“He locked his head around my leg and I couldn’t get him off. I even tried using a fire extinguisher.

“Eventually, I had to force his mouth open with my hand and he bit that, too.

“It was terrifying.”

Police, including two armed officers, were called to the scene, but no shots were fired and the dog was caught using a pole-catcher.

The dog has been seized by police, but consent to have it destroyed has not yet been given by the owner of the charity.

Paramedics were also called to the address at about 9.15pm.

After treatment at Airedale Hospital, the man was given crutches to help him walk.

He must now attend Burnley General Hospital every two days to have his dressings changed.

The two other dogs, which have been taken to the vets, were left with severe injuries, one suffering from puncture wounds in its leg and the other with bite marks to its head and nose.

The 23-year-old said: “I had been online and seen the dog and it said it was going to be put down, so I said I would have it.

“He had been fine for two weeks and got on with my other dogs.

“It upset me because I had to sign for it to be put to sleep as I did not see any other option.

“But the woman who runs the charity has refused so far, so what I said doesn’t count as I was only its foster carer.”

The man urged people looking for dogs to make sure they got it from an established, reputable charity.

He said: “When you get dogs from the RSPCA or places like that, they do background checks on them.

“But with Dave, nobody knows where he has come from, so anything could have happened to him.”

A police spokesman said: “Police did attend an address in Basil Street, Colne around 9.15pm on Sunday.

“An investigation is now under way into the incident.”